Organisation - September 27, 2012

Cormet swamped by lunchers

Long queues in the Forum canteen. Better distribution should solve problem.

Anyone who ever has lunch in the Forum must have been annoyed by the endless queues at the till. Since the new caterer was installed here the number of customers has shot up: 35 percent more than this time last year. That means 650 customers per hour. 'It exceeds all our expectations,' says manager Frank van Zomeren. But he admits that long waits at the checkout are the flip side of this success. He thinks the solution lies in customers spreading their lunchtimes over a longer period. 'We have longer opening times now but by no means everyone knows that. One quarter of our customers do not have to stick to the break times. I am going to take action to try to get them to come to the canteen outside the 'rush hour.' Another solution Van Zomeren is considering is to expand the range of snacks available at the Grand Cafe to include fresh rolls, for example. 'Then people who just want a bread roll won't have to join the queue upstairs.'
Since Cormet took over in the Forum it has been possible to pay with a pin card. That takes a few seconds longer per transaction than the chip option. But Van Zomeren is not in favour of doing away with the pin option. 'You gain a marginal amount of time whereas I think the pin service has a lot of added value.'